Inscriptions: Funerary stele for Corellia Optata

Identification

Reference as:	MPL00788
Title	Funerary stele for Corellia Optata
Trismegistos-No.	155177

Object

Provenance and Location

Find Place	Eburacum
Find Context	Found in 1861 at the Mount, York. Found in conjunction with a glass urn, believed to contain the remains of Corellia Optata.
Latitude	0.0
Longitude	0.0
Current Location	York, Yorkshire Museum
Inventory number	YORYM 2007.6171
Current Location Details
Vicinity	[{"coords": [53.9577, -1.0823], "id": 788, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/788", "long_id": "MPL00788", "place": "Eburacum", "text": "[D(is)] M(anibus) Corellia Optata an(norum)XIII. \u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/scripts/adlib_image.php?id=yorym_2007_6171.JPG", "title": "Funerary stele for Corellia Optata"}, {"coords": [54.9895, -2.60242], "id": 790, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/790", "long_id": "MPL00790", "place": "Birdoswald", "text": "Aurea per caelum volitat Victoria pennis.", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Verse inscription from Birdoswald"}, {"coords": [55.1701, -2.17374], "id": 52, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/52", "long_id": "MPL00052", "place": "Habitancum", "text": "Somnio prae-monitus miles hanc ponere ius-5sit Ara\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/images/RIB001228.png", "title": "Altar dedicated to the Nymphs"}, {"coords": [55.1701, -2.17374], "id": 789, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/789", "long_id": "MPL00789", "place": "Habitancum", "text": "[---Flam]inii [---]nsae [---]ae dominar-[is--- se]\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/images/RIB001253LS.png", "title": "Funerary stele for Flaminius"}, {"coords": [55.1701, -2.17374], "id": 1068, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/1068", "long_id": "MPL01068", "place": "Habitancum", "text": "Somnio prae-monitus miles hanc ponere ius-5sit ara\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Votive inscription from Habitancum \u2013 Risingham (Britannia) - HD070430"}, {"coords": [54.6767, -1.67677], "id": 784, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/784", "long_id": "MPL00784", "place": "Vinovia (Binchester)", "text": "Armea me docuit recte \u003cti?\u003ebi dicere cunctis", "thumbnail_url": "https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/images/RIB002491.146i.jpg", "title": "Graffito on a tile"}, {"coords": [52.6745, -2.64382], "id": 786, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/786", "long_id": "MPL00786", "place": "Viroconium", "text": "[T](itus) [ Fl]aminius T(iti filius) Pol(lia tribu\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/images/RIB000292.photo-full-SDV.jpg", "title": "Epitaph of Titus Flaminius from Faventia"}, {"coords": [53.1915, -2.89394], "id": 792, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/792", "long_id": "MPL00792", "place": "Chester", "text": "\u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03c5\u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03cc\u03c7\u03b1-\u03c2 \u1f00\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03ce\u03c0\u03c9\u03bd \u03c3\u03c9\u03c4\u1fc6\u03c1\u03b1\u03c2 \u1f10\u03bd \u1f00\u03b8\u03b1-\u03bd\u03ac\u03c4\u03bf\u03b9\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd 5 \u1f08\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/images/RIB003151pl.png", "title": "Votive inscription for Asklepios, Hygieia and Panakeia"}, {"coords": [52.559, -0.34821], "id": 785, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/785", "long_id": "MPL00785", "place": "Durobrivae", "text": "\u0391((chi-rho))\u03a9 Sanctum altare tuum D\u0391((chi-rho))\u03a9om\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://media.britishmuseum.org/media/Repository/Documents/2014_9/30_9/1e9a06ec_13b4_4f59_b5bc_a3b600a3d40a/mid_00190764_001.jpg", "title": "Votive inscription on a silver cup"}, {"coords": [54.9848, -2.52428], "id": 793, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/793", "long_id": "MPL00793", "place": "Magnae", "text": "Imminet Leoni Virgo caeles-ti situ spicifera iusti\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/images/RIB001791LS.png", "title": "Dedication to Virgo Caelestis"}, {"coords": [52.614, 0.886402], "id": 2067, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/2067", "long_id": "MPL02067", "place": "Norfolk", "text": "[A]ma me", "thumbnail_url": "https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/images/RIB002421.1.jpg", "title": "Fibula with love dedication from Norfolk"}, {"coords": [52.4036, -0.82357], "id": 2119, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/2119", "long_id": "MPL02119", "place": "Orton", "text": "Si amas.", "thumbnail_url": "https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/images/Brit.50.28-fig23.jpeg", "title": "Fibula with love dedication from Orton"}]

Object Details

Object Type	stele
Material	sandstone
State of Preservation	incomplete
Dimensions	width: 64.0 cm height: 94.0 cm depth: 18.0 cm
Letter Size in cm (min)	3.3
Letter Size in cm (max)	4.9
Execution Technique	chiselled
Religion	Pagan

Decoration

Decoration and Iconography
Decoration Tags	Person

Verse Layouts

Text

Function	funerary inscription
Language(s)	Latin
Verse Type(s)	Dactylic hexameter
Rhythmisation

Inscription & Translations

Diplomatic Interpretative Verse Visualisation

[]M
CORELLIAOPTATAANXIII
SECRETIMANESQVIREGNA
ACHERVSIADITISINCOLI
5TISQVOSPARVAPETVNTPOST
LVMINAVITEEXIGVVSCINISETSIMVLACRVMCORPOISVM
BRAINSONTISGNATEGENI
TORSPECAPTVSINIQVA
SVPREMVMHVNCNATE
10MISERANDVSDEFLEOFINEM
QCOREFORTISPATFC

[D(is)] M(anibus)
Corellia Optata an(norum)XIII.
Secreti Manes qui regna
Acherusia Ditis incoli-
5tis quos parva petunt post
lumina vite exiguus cinis et simulacrum corpo(r)is um-
bra insontis gnate geni-
tor spe captus iniqua
supremum hunc nate
10miserandus defleo finem.
Q(uintus) Core(llius) Fortis pat(er) f(aciendum) c(uravit.)

[D(is)] M(anibus) Corellia Optata an(norum)XIII.
Secreti Manes qui regna Acherusia Ditis
incolitis quos parva petunt post lumina vite
exiguus cinis et simulacrum corpo(r)is umbra
insontis gnate genitor spe captus iniqua
supremum hunc nate miserandus defleo finem. Q(uintus) Core(llius) Fortis pat(er) f(aciendum) c(uravit.)

Apparatus

Text follows RIB 0684. Checked on picture by Teufel 2024.

l. 6: vit(a)e | corpo<r>is Kruschwitz 2015
l. 8: gnat(a)e Kruschwitz 2015
l. 10: nat(a)e Kruschwitz 2015

Main Translation

Translation	To the Spirits of the Departed. Corellia Optata, aged 13. Reclusive Manes, inhabiting the Acherusian realm of Hades, whom a little pile of ashes and the spirit do seek after but a short light of life – the body’s shade: I, the begetter of an innocent daughter, trapped by wrongful hope, wretched, wail this, my daughter’s ultimate destiny. Quintus Corellius Fortis, the father, had this made.
Citation	Peter Kruschwitz (Kruschwitz 2015)

Other Translations

Prosopographical Information

Name Corellia Optata
Gender Female
Age Range Subadult (13–20) [precision: high]
Role Dedicatee
Name Quintus Corellius Fortis
Gender Male
Profession Military staff
Role Dedicator

Name	Corellia Optata
Gender	Female
Age Range	Subadult (13–20) [precision: high]
Role	Dedicatee

Name	Quintus Corellius Fortis
Gender	Male
Profession	Military staff
Role	Dedicator

Further Information

Comment

Squeeze

Have Squeeze?	no

Dating

Date (From)	101 AD
Date (To)	200 AD
Date (Criteria)	palaeography

Bibliography

CIL 07, 00250.
S.R. Tufi, Yorkshire, CSIR Great Britain 1, 3 (Oxford 1983) 34–35, Nr. 52; Pl. 16, 52.
P. Kruschwitz, Undying voices: the poetry of Roman Britain (Reading 2015) 8–9; 53–54. 🔗 link
D. Murzea, Femina et Carmina. Female Agency and Authorship in Roman Verse Inscriptions, Vienna 2025, 463, no.271. 🔗 link
HD069946 🔗 link
RIB 0684; drawing. 🔗 link
MQDQ 🔗 link
CLE 395 🔗 link
EDCS-07800975 🔗 link

Images

York Museums Trust

Editing History

Created	2026-08-26, by Micha Teufel
Work Status	Complete
Import Notice	Imported from Epigraphische Datenbank Heidelberg at 2024-04-18T11:46:14, ID there: HD069946

Revisions

by Unknown
at 2024-04-18 11:46
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-08 12:24
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-08 12:31
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-08 12:33
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-08 14:18
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-10 16:51
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-10 17:15
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-10 17:19
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-10 17:29
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-10 17:31
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-10 17:33
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-10 17:51
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-10 17:51
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-10 17:59
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 07:04
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 07:17
by Chiara Cenati
at 2024-05-11 07:17
by Chiara Cenati
at 2024-05-11 07:18
by Chiara Cenati
at 2024-05-11 07:20
by Chiara Cenati
at 2024-05-11 07:21
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 07:39
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 07:43
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 08:11
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 08:16
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 08:18
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 08:20
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 08:25
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 09:59
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-05-11 09:59
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-06-26 12:11
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-06-26 12:18
by Micha Teufel
at 2024-06-26 12:19
by Chiara Cenati
at 2024-10-30 16:08
by Chiara Cenati
at 2024-10-30 16:08
by Anna Pokorny
at 2026-06-03 09:31
by Anna Martelli
at 2026-08-26 09:38

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